Parthiv Patel Announces Retirement from All Forms of Cricket

Wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Patel made his international debut in 2002 at the age of 17 in an away Test series against England and went on to represent India in 25 matches in the longest format, scoring 934 runs at an average of 31.13. He also played 38 ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals. He last wore an Indian jersey in 2018 during a Test match against South Africa in Johannesburg. The keeper, who bats left-handed, took to Twitter to announce his retirement.

Patel in a tweet said, "Today I announce my retirement from all forms of cricket, and as I bring down the curtains on this 18 year old cricketing journey, I feel heavier with gratitude towards many. The BCCI showed a generous amount of confidence and faith in a 17 year old boy to play for India. I have enormous gratitude towards them for being a guiding force and hand holding me, in the formative years of my young career."

"I am full of gratitude to The Gujarat Cricket Association, my home, for solidly rallying around me throughout my journey, and the leadership role conferred upon me couldn't have been more joyous and fulfilling than our team winning all formats of the game," he added.

Patel was a stalwart in Indian domestic cricket and scored over 11,000 runs in 194 first-class games, with 27 centuries and 67 half-centuries. 

He was leading Gujarat in Ranji Trophy for part few seasons and even led them to their first-ever title triumph in the 2016-17 season.

Patel also proved his mettle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he played for sides like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore among others. 

He played 204 T20 matches for his state and various IPL franchises and scored 4,300 runs at a strike rate of 123.84, with the help of 23 half-centuries.